K-Pop and K-Drama quiz conducted by Suramya Srivastava and Medha Dhall

1. K-pop/Kdrama
Quiz 2.0

2. Rules
1. Questions will be directed at teams
in ascending order
2. Pounce window will be open for 30
seconds after reading of the
question is done
3. Pounce +10pts/-5pts
4. No negative marking on directs

3. #1
This recent drama, X, began with a viewership rating of
~1% for its first episode but they picked up fast as the
drama continued. The drama was extended by two
episodes and by the last episode (20th one), ratings had
crossed 20%.
X has become a sensation in South Korea, with even
celebrities posting about watching it, as it targets issues
that are relevant across the world, and especially in
Asia, and hit quite close to home. It stands out against
other contemporary dramas, giving the audience
something they can directly relate to at least till some
extent. ID X.
3

4. 4
Safety Slide

5. SKY Castle 5

6. #2
Connect
6

7. 7
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8. EXO D.O (Do
Kyungsoo)
8

9. 9
#3
Actor X had gotten caught up in a controversy in the latter
half of 2017 where people accused him of promoting a cult.
The following excerpt is from X’s father’s letter defending the
church:
“I went home and did exactly as he told me to, and our
corpse-like baby started crying again, and after excreting
black waste, he was completely cured within a week. At the
hospital, they [the doctors] said he would be able to get a
hernia surgery when he was 6, but with prayer, his hernia
was completely cured within two months and we saw the
Lord’s true glory.”
The name given to X by the pastor means ‘precious sword.’
ID X who recently starred in a drama with an actress more
than ten years older than him.

10. 10
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11. Park
Bogum
11

12. 12
#4
Shinhwa (debuted 1998) is one of the oldest groups still
around in the K-pop scene. As one of the first generation
groups, Shinhwa has naturally been the first to do many
things and set records.
Some of these records and firsts include being the longest
lasting group without any member changes or drop outs,
being the first to introduce chairs and mics in their
choreography, etc. While many groups have followed
Shinhwa’s footsteps, there is one thing that no other group
has managed to do.
Tell what risqué thing Shinhwa did, paving the path for their
juniors, for which fans would pay any amount to have.

13. 13
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14. Released a semi-nude photobook (2001)
14

15. 15
#5
Considered to be one of the greatest professional
wrestlers of all-time, X was born and raised in West
Newbury, Massachusetts, but moved to California in
1998, where he pursued a career as a bodybuilder,
before transitioning into professional wrestling. He
was recently in news because he volunteered to be
the bodyguard for Y.
ID X and Y.

16. 16
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17. X- John Cena Y- BTS
17

18. 18
#6
Kang Sunghoon, a (former) member, of a 1st generation group X,
which was formed in 1997, has been embroiled in numerous
controversies - during the group’s hiatus and even after the group
had their comeback.
Some of these controversies include issues with cancellation of
fanmeetings, where fans were not refunded properly - which
escalated with the company that arranged the fanmeeting filed an
international lawsuit against him. Additionally, he also received
donations from fans in the name of his fan club for the group’s 20th
debut anniversary and it was supposed to be donated to those in
need, however the fan club management is being accused of
embezzling the profits.
Being part of a group that’s in at least some manner been able to be
active around their 20th anniversary is hard. One thing that’s really
needed is a group of really dedicated fans. Knowing about kpop’s fan
culture with fan clubs, what was the final string that caused him to
leave the group? And ID X.

19. 19
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20. 20

21. 21
#7
Seo Taiji and Boys was a kpop group that debuted in
1992 and effectively shaped the kpop industry. Their
debut song, “I Know,” started with the lowest ratings
in a talent show but quickly rocketed to selling 1.5
million copies in just a month after its release.
Their music was controversial, most critics said that
they would never make it. Yet, something about the
group struck a chord in people, propelling them to
immense and everlasting popularity and impact in the
industry. What was this element of this group that
spoke out to so many people?

22. 22
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23. 23

24. 24
#8
The hit drama X was Y's comeback drama after his 2
year enlistment in military.
Won Bin, Jo In Sung, Gong Yoo, Kim Woo Bin were
offered first to take this role. But all of them declined
mainly because of two reasons: they need to cut their
hair short and it is a pre-produced drama. The drama
went on to become a major hit.
ID X and Y.

25. 25
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26. 26

27. #9
27
This 2007 drama became a huge hit both
domestically and internationally. The main leads
characters were acted Gong Yoo and Yoo Eunhye
and the plot focused around the employees of a
coffee shop and their daily lives, with how their
relationships and lives weaved together.
Quite controversial considering the time and context
during which this drama airing, but executed
surprisingly well. What spurred this drama to its
success?

28. 28
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29. Coffee Prince - Eunhye’s character disguised
herself as a guy so Gong Yoo’s character
thought he was gay but he came around to
accept it 29

30. #10
Once part of a girl group known as the “Queens of
Summer,” as a majority of their hit songs were known
for being released around summers and doing well on
the charts then, X is also known as the Queen of
Collaborations and has pursued a solo career of her
own as a musician.
One of her most notable collabs is with Junggigo in
2014 that was a big hit on the charts and that, even
now, most people on the streets would be able to
recognize. As of 2014 only, the song had been
streamed over 109,772,229 times and had sold over
2,212,895 downloads
30

31. 31
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32. Soyou (formerly part of SISTAR) 32

33. #11
33
Originally based on a Japanese manga, this 2010 kdrama is
amongst the 8 dramas and 3 live-action films were inspired by
the manga. The original manga, unexpectedly, was never
actually completed due to the death of its author in a house
accident.
Furthermore, the kdrama received low ratings in Korea. It used
many of the well known clichéd tropes of romance dramas -
with the smart popular guy, not-so-smart and unpopular girl.
On top of it, the drama included the most sexist of narratives
with the guy being an asshole and the girl still eventually ending
up with him.
ID this drama, who’s male lead was played by an actor who
once acted in popular dramas but has now pretty much been
banished from the Korean entertainment scene (both music
and acting wise) although he still has his loyal fanbase, for
whatever reason.

34. #11
34

35. 35
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36. Playful Kiss
36

37. #12
ID all the guest appearances made in PSY’s music
video for Gangnam Style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
37

38. 38
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39. Yoo Jaesuk, Noh Hongchul, Seungri (gross),
Daesung, Hyuna 39

40. #13
40
Crush, a well known Korean RnB singer who has
collaborated with many artists, especially hip hop
artists like Gaeko and Epik High, had a sort of
achievement this year, which few Asian artists have
had the pleasure of getting.
Fellow Korean (and kpop) artists also were
recipients of what some would say is an honour,
considering the scale of the achievement. What
exactly did Crush get to do that had him so excited
that he was posting multiple Instagram stories
about it?

41. 41
Safety Slide

42. Attended Grammy’s (with the likes of BTS and Exo’s
Lay)
42

43. #14
43
‘Kill Me, Heal Me,’ a 2015 drama, aired from January
to March. In the same time frame, another drama
called ‘Hyde, Jekyll, and Me’ was also airing. The
former was well received, especially compared to
the latter’s low ratings and reviews of inconsistent
plot.
These two dramas, in the midst of it all, were
embroiled in a controversy, although the accused
side strongly denied the allegations against them.
What exactly was the point of contention, which can
be linked to a Scottish gothic novella from the
1800s?

44. 44
Safety Slide

45. Plagiarism as both have plots that are centered
around leads having multiple personality
disorders. (HJM accused KMHM) 45

46. #15
46
X is a kdrama based on a jdrama of the same name
(Hundred Million Stars From the Sky). In the original
jdrama, there were many shocking elements, one of
which (and perhaps the most shocking of all) was
that the leads ended up being siblings and so there
was incest as there were scenes before that
depicted romantic relations between the two leads.
A note by the Korean production staff on the remake
and its ending is on the next slide. ID X and the
ending, which, while bittersweet, in some ways, took
an easy way out to avoid controversy.

47. #15
47
For the Korean remake, the production staff stated:
“The drama has an underlying, heavy theme of ‘love
will save people.’ With the theme of ‘love,’ it is a work
that simultaneously tells the story of people. We’ve
made an effort to portray the story of a man and
woman who suffer with their individual emotional
pains and overcome and grow from this through [the
power of] love. We are putting constant thought into
drawing an ending that truly highlights the
underlying theme portrayed through the drama,
while also displaying the original work’s strengths.”

48. 48
Safety Slide

49. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, leads die
49

50. #16
50
This coming-of-age drama began airing late 2016, carrying
over to the first month of 2017. The lead actress, who
originally used to be a model, found it to be an extremely
positive experience, finding herself connecting to her
character well.
In an interview, she talked about the weight gain that had
happen in order for her to play her role. She commented “I
gained even more weight as I was filming the drama...It
was a matter of eating more and getting bloated in order to
match with Bok Joo. I think my weight was at its peak
during the middle of the drama. I even thought about not
losing the weight since my body had become muscular…”
What role did this actress play, with the character being
described as a bright girl with a lot of positive energy?

51. 51
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52. Weightlifter - Lee Sungkyung in ‘Weightlifting
Fairy Kim Bok Joo’ 52

53. #17
53
A chef, restaurateur, actor, celebrity (television
personality), author, and member of the Democratic Labour
Party, X is well known in South Korea. Although currently
he’s more or less well received by the general public, what
did he do in 2000 that caused a huge controversy in his
home country - resulting in him facing extreme stigma, loss
of jobs, and leading him to depression as he was being
forced out of the industry.
On the verge of moving to New York, he decided instead to
stay in Korea to prove that he could succeed. He slowly
worked his way up, writing a memoir, opening his own
restaurants, and was eventually named ‘Asian Hero’ in
2004 by Time magazine. ID X whom kpop fans these days
may know more because he’s third cousins with NCT’s
Taeyong, and give the reason that led to the controversy.

54. 54
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55. X - Hong Seok Cheon, came out as gay in
2000. South Korea’s most prominent gay celeb 55

56. #18
56
Often times, a lot of kpop groups’ names are acronyms or
abbreviations and have some longer (and usually ridiculous)
meaning to them. For example, first generation group H.O.T
stands for “High Five of Teenager,” while a now pretty much
dead second generation group MBLAQ stood for “Music Boys
Living in Absolute Quality.”
Knowing South Korea’s (and to a larger extent, East Asia)
interest in certain things that often define life and people, what
does B1A4 stand for? Additionally, what does 2NE1 stand for?
#streambomspringmv #nonsense fun question

57. 57
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58. B1A4 - one B blood type member, 4 A blood
types
2NE1 - ‘to anyone’ & ‘twenty one’ = 21st
century + New Evolution 58

59. #19
59
One of the most dread things universally is Monday
morning - the start of the working weekdays, meaning
work, school, college, existential dread, the usual.
However, an interesting trend took over South Korea late
last year, giving people the motivation to pull through and
work hard. Linked to a well known star, X, this trend
consists of people saying (tweeting) a phrase that powers
them through the day.
What is this phrase that gives them seemingly endless
energy and passion, curing the Monday blues and overall
lack of passion for life.

60. 60
Safety Slide

61. “I Am U-Know Yunho” (thus, X - Yunho from
TVXQ!) 61

62. #20
Girls’ Generation’s “X” was originally released in
Korean and later a Japanese version of it was also
released. The song was ranked number one on the
Gaon Singles Chart for two weeks.
Interestingly, the song was not composed by the
group or SM entertainment. X was pitched to SM
entertaiment for Girls’ Generation. In 2008, American
Singer Y provided the vocals for the demo of the song
which has been leaked online.
Who is this American singer and which song are we
talking about?
62

63. 63
Safety Slide

64. Kesha provided vocals for the demo.
Song- Run Devil Run 64

65. #21
A former girl group member is infamous for several
controversies some of which include-
-Netizens speculated that her now-deleted photo is from a past
pictorial with photographer Rota, known for his allegedly
"lolita" concepts. Rota is currently under police investigation
after a woman came forward in light of the #MeToo movement
and claimed that Rota sexually assaulted her despite the fact
that she was a minor at the time.
-Back when she dated a hip-hop rapper, she posted a picture
of them kissing which evoked negative reactions.
-She uploaded, and still posts, several pictures of herself
obviously braless and this drives the haters off the edge.
65

66. 66
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67. Sulli
67
“Her nipple is popping out like it’s king of the world”, “Am I supposed to think
this is cool?”

68. #22
Jang Jayeon was a South Korean actress who played
an important character in Boys over Flowers.
Jang was found hanging at her home on March 7, 2009,
with a handwritten note that read, “I am a powerless
actress. I want to get out of this agony.”
An inquiry team under the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office
is scheduled to announce in late March the results of
its reinvestigation into the case of actress Jang Ja-
yeon, who died 10 years ago after revealing important
information in her note.
What is this case about? What did her note reveal?
68

69. 69
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70. Sexual Abuse case; Jang left a 7-page note listing at least 31
names of media executives, CEOs, and directors that she claimed
sexually assaulted her.
70

71. #23
In February of this year, Taemin made a comeback
with his album and its titular track, ‘WANT.’
The lyrics depict about desire and want, much as the
track is titled. Amongst the many of the symbolisms
and imagery used in the music video, there’s one at
the end that solidifies the central idea that Taemin
wants to represent throughout the music video. What
exactly is about this imagery that helps Taemin
articulate his idea?
71

72. #23
72

73. 73
Safety Slide

74. The wall in front of which Taemin dances is
Auguste Rodin’s “Gates of Hell” - Taemin is the
devil, depicting the ultimate personification of
desire and temptation 74